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Have You Created an Identity for Your Business?

25May2015

Have You Created an Identity for Your Business?

If someone asked you what your business’ identity is, would you be able to give them a clear answer? If not, now is definitely the time to give some thought to how you can create an identity and an image for your business that will work for you around the clock. Why is this important? Because, as Jeff Davidson, author of Marketing on a Shoestring says, “The age of the image is here. From corporations to individuals, the imapact of image is irrefutable . . . the success of your business, whether large or small, often depends on how you position yourself and what you project.”

Positioning can help you create an identity and maintain a secure spot in the minds of those you wish to serve, and I believe the first step to positioning your business is deciding:

What you’re going to be

What you’re going to offer

To whom you’re going to offer it

The concept of positioning was actually popularized decades ago in the early 1980s by Al Ries and Jack Trout. They observed, “In our over-communicated society, very little communication takes place.” A company must create a position in the prospect’s mind, recognizing that the most effective communication occurs when optimally placed and timed.

Being the “first” remains one of the quickest and easiest ways to gain a position in someone’s mind. Who was the first person to walk on the moon? If you said Neil Armstrong, you are correct. Now, name any of the astronauts who walked on the moon’s surface on the other NASA moon missions. Not so easy, is it? If you’re like most people, you probably have no idea.

When you are properly positioned, you save time because others quickly understand what your company represents and offers. With positioning, each networking encounter, advertisement, message, employee, and every square inch of floor or office space contributes to the delivery of a consistent theme to the target market.

The identity you develop may be right only for you and for no one else. You may become the leader in an emerging industry, or a highly successful alternative to the leading company. You may be the only store open for twenty-four hours or the most exclusive shop in town, exhibiting wares by appointment only. In the highly competitive, swiftly changing environment which we exist in today, creating an identity that sticks in the mind of others is no longer optional but essential.

So, challenge yourself this week to do some research on creating an identity for your business. Start by answering the three bullet point questions above, and then carve out time each day to spend time reading books on the subject or Googling articles on how to create a business identity, brand, and image. There is an endless array of helpful business articles available on the internet surrounding this topic. If you simply spend the time to do the research, I’m willing to bet you’ll come up with a clear answer for people on what your business identity is within a week!

If you have already created an identity for your business, I’d love for you to share about it in the comment forum below. Let us know what your business identity is and how you went about creating it–I’m very interested to hear your story. Thanks!

5 thoughts on “Have You Created an Identity for Your Business?”

Very good. I am amazed how many people do not know their ideal customer nor do they know how to communicate their vision.
I was in the same boat I can say that is one of the things that BNI has trained me on.

We have managed to do some significant branding for ourselves. There are at least 3 components:

1) Part of it came through geographic identity–Easley is the largest city in our county, so a search for “Easley electrician” puts us on top. That’s not always the best, however, as we are trying to focus more on commercial, and we get lots of residential hits. And Pickens County is rural (100K population) compared to adjacent Greenville County (400K+). We’re working on that.

2) Our motto: “We’ll Never Leave YOU In The Dark!” (created by my wife, by the way! I’m proud of that!) is about electricity/light/power, but even more about 3 of our strengths: dependability, troubleshooting/problem-solving, and COMMUNICATION! The last one is particularly relevant–I’ve heard many times more than once–“You’re the 4th electrician we called, and the 1st one who showed up!” And we try to keep customers apprised of the status of jobs, send out Thank-You notes (handwritten), and admit when we’ve messed up. Good communication has brought back customers we by all accounts should have lost!

And that motto is almost as well-known to our chapter members as “Givers Gain” is to BNI at large–last week, when I was absent, I had my sub state the he was representing me with Easley Electric Inc. and their motto is…. He was impressed that the chapter KNEW it well enough to recite it back!

3) We had the web design firm in our BNI chapter (www,3FoldX.com) re-do our website a year ago. It came out extremely professional, and we are pleased with it. Tim Joiner, the co-owner, was my sponsor in BNI, and he has 3 members of his firm in 3 separate chapters. He states that his ROI on BNI, documented over 3.5 years with the 3 members, is 10:1. [That’s not as great as a member I met at the conference in Savannah who stated that his HVAC company in Savannah had gotten $90K in business in 2 years direcly attributable to BNI!–but still it IS a GREAT ROI!]

Thank you for bringing up such a great topic as I have wrestled with this for some time. I am an independent, representing two different companies that work very similar with a common ease, theme and cause. Here is my challenge. In BNI and Chambers of Commerce, they require you to represent one company name or profession, One is Viridian Energy, where we bring affordable, green energy to the public for less money than the utilities. Everybody wins! It saves them money while saving the planet. 25 times greater than recycling. The other is Watchdog Consulting where we save people money on their trash disposal cost through multiple years of experience and group purchasing negotiations; again saving them money while also saving the planet. Everybody wins. While at networking events I do not want to confuse people so I have branded myself as Environmental Saving Solutions. This encompasses both, and is easier to navigate a conversation without confusing my audience.